Ripto's Ward
by TRikiD
Summary: An encounter with Ripto leads to a young dragoness named Esther becoming imprisoned by the said evil wizard. But as she tries her best to survive his cruel nature, she uncovers the truth of his past...and he realizes he enjoys her company.
1. Chapter 1 - A New Enemy

Ripto's Ward

Chapter 1 - A New Enemy

To say that the land of Dragons was currently as happy and peaceful as the rumors say it is would be an overstatement. At the moment, the land was covered in dreary clouds with a gentle rainfall to compliment it. And to Spyro and his friends, the weather was nothing but a damper to their fun; one of his friends was obviously Sparx the dragonfly, but he freed a dragoness the same age as him from her crystal prison after defeating Gnasty Gnorc a while back. She was a small dragon with shimmering blue scales and matching eyes; an underbelly and horns the shade of light yellow; and her horns curved downward like a ram's.

Ever since Spyro freed her, Esther has remained by his side to look for an opportunity to pay her debt, but she had yet to find it.

"Is this rain ever gonna stop? I've forgotten what the sun looks like," Spyro groaned, to which Sparx sighed in agreement. But Spyro soon gasped with a brilliant plan, "We should go on vacation!"

"We won't go anywhere dangerous, will we?" Esther questioned with great concern, having been quite paranoid ever since she was freed from her crystal prison.

"Don't worry, we'll go somewhere warm and sunny—like Dragon Shores!"

"But what if Gnasty Gnorc is still out there?!"

"He's gone now, Silly! I totally roasted him, remember? Now, c'mon! Last one there's a Gnorc!"

Sparx shouted in anger when he realized he wasn't given a warning, and darted off after his best friend. And even though she tried her best to call after Spyro and stopped him, his speed towards the portal to Dragon Shores never slowed, so she gathered her strength and reluctantly ran after him. Everything about this just rubbed her the wrong way.

The next thing she knew, the starry void between each realm that they flew through soon became a lush and green land—which meant it wasn't the beach.

"Spyro, we're not in Dragon Shores anymore," Esther whispered to the said purple dragon, as she helped him up after their rough landing.

"Yeah, you're right—oh, hi! Which way's the beach?" Spyro asked a few of the strangers that stood near the portal, but they all gawked at them in silence, "Hey, stop staring! Haven't you guys ever seen dragons before?"

" _You're_ dragons?" the tall, cat-like creature asked in disbelief.

"You got a problem with that, pussycat?" Spyro growled.

But just before the offended cheetah could fight back, a huge blast interrupted their conversation as well as destroyed the portal and scattered everyone.

"Well, well! Someone forgot to invite _me_ to the party!" the voice of another newcomer boomed, as the owner of it came riding in on a green monster, with another blue creature accompanying him. He was short and big-headed, and he momentarily sniffed the air while waving his scepter in wonder.

"Were you trying to hide something from me?" he inquired with a grin, but then noticed the two abnormal guests, "Dragons?! You brought dragons to Avalar?! I hate dragons!"

With that, he let out a war cry while raising his scepter, causing the crimson gem on its tip to light up with the threat of another attack. But because of her promise to give her life for Spyro, Esther immediately lunged herself at the enemy and latched her jaws onto the scepter.

"Let go, you idiot! I'll teach you to mess with me!" the one-horned wizard demanded, to which he swung his scepter around until Esther was grasping onto it for dear life while spinning on it. But she wasn't able to hold on much longer, and was soon sent flying into a nearby tree like a rag doll, leaving her dazed and confused.

The wizard then chuckled darkly when Crush, his blue lackey, grabbed Esther and brought him to his master.

"So, you thought you could beat the great and powerful Ripto? That's just a death wish, Sweetheart," the evil sorcerer taunted while prodding Esther's chin with his scepter, forcing her star-ridden vision on his conniving grin.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Spyro shouted threateningly and unfolded his wings to pounce, but stopped dead in his tracks when Ripto pointed the now fizzling end of his scepter at Esther.

"Don't test me, Fool!" Ripto roared back.

"No one…hurts them…n-not on my watch," Esther growled meekly, trying to shake the dizziness from her head.

Ripto laughed in disbelief, "Oh, really? And just what're _you_ going to do to stop me, Smoke Breath?"

Without warning, Esther kicked Crush in the face, causing him to finally let go so that she could take flight. But Ripto saw her attempts to strike coming a mile away, and fired a beam at her. Before Esther could comprehend what happened, a strong force suddenly clamps her wings to her sides, and she plummeted to the ground with a hard thud.

"Who's the loser now, huh?! You can't possibly expect to beat me without wings, so maybe that'll teach you a lesson!" Ripto cackled as Gulp, the monster that acted as his ride, turned to leave, "Come find me when you have a _real_ reason for me to listen!"

With that, Ripto and his minions left with victory having swung in their direction, and Spyro was the first to come to Esther's aid.

"Are you ok?" Spyro asked out of concern, as Esther struggled to get back onto her feet.

"I-I…think so…but my wings," Esther began shakily while trying to unfold her wings, but a sparkling ring of red magic made it evident that they would not be getting her off the ground again any time soon.

"Aw, shoot! He cursed your wings!" the cheetah from earlier shouted in realization.

"Who was that jerk, anyway?" Spyro questioned the female fawn.

"That was Ripto, and we have to get rid of him. He's causing all sorts of trouble around here, but I haven't got time to explain. Right now, I need to follow Ripto and see what he's up to. Meet me in Summer Forest when you're ready to face him again," the fawn explained before running after Ripto with the cheetah in tow.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Spyro called after them, but they didn't stop, "How do we get ourselves inta these messes, Guys?"

"That doesn't matter. I can't help now that I'm grounded. You go on without me, I'll just stay here and help fix the portal," Esther sighed while sitting on her haunches.

"I can't let you do that. It's my fault for not acting fast enough. I should've been able to save you again," Spyro tried to reassure her.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'd just slow you down."

"Not true! You can super charge like a boss, I've seen you do it!"

Esther blushed, "Well, maybe…"

"You won't get in the way, I promise."

"Well, if you insist—I guess I can tag along."

"Great! Let's go!"

The two dragons and the dragonfly then began yet another race across the land, but Esther was once again mentally unsettled. If she could barely protect Spyro from a threat like Ripto, how could she possibly hope to protect him again?

* * *

Once Ripto and his minions returned to the castle in Summer Forest, he was quite overjoyed by his victory with the battle against that dragoness. And taking away her ability to fly? He surprised himself with that!

"Crush, Gulp, I tell ya, momentum has swung in our direction! We'll have dominated all of Avalar by the end of the week!" Ripto laughed hysterically while taking a seat in his throne. But in his moment of reminiscing, Gulp and Crush exchanged unimpressed glances before giving him a deadpanned look.

"What? Oh, don't look at me like that! It's not like I ripped her wings off or anything!"

The silence from his lackeys persisted, and Crush even crossed his arms and began tapping his foot.

"Look, it's not hypocritical when you're not actually planning on keeping her grounded forever. She'll get use of her wings back when she accepts me as her new king like everyone else around here."

They quirked their brows.

"Oh, please! You know no one could stand up to me, not when I've got my scepter. And next time, I'll just trap them all with a forest fire. That's more humane, right?"

At this point, Crush and Gulp had had enough and left the room with a huff.

"C'mon, I was just kidding about the fires! I know you can't rule a kingdom composed of ash piles!"

The large double doors were slammed shut, leaving Ripto all alone in the throne room; he huffed and slouched in his throne, aggravated by his cronies' attempts at therapy.

"Morons. I didn't do anything wrong—not to that wimpy dragon, at least. So what if she can't fly? I was only teaching her a lesson," Ripto mumbled to himself while twiddling the gem crest of his necklace. He lifted it and stared deep into the crimson shards within the crest, and was immediately bombarded by horrible memories.

"It's not like she's scarred for life either…"

* * *

 **There seems to be more under Ripto's tough surface, huh? Any idea as to what he's hiding?**

 **Also, I hope Esther doesn't feel too Mary Sue-ish. I tried to give her the most normal/relatable design I could, and I hope you don't find her a nuisance. If you do have a problem with her or anything else, do not hesitate to let me know.**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Springing the Trap

Chapter 2 - Springing the Trap

After spending an entire evening traversing the new land of Glimmer, Spyro, Sparx and Esther eventually found themselves in Summer Forest near of a large stone structure. And standing in the courtyard of the building was the same faun from earlier, and she appeared really worried.

"Hello there!" Esther called as they approached the faun.

"Oh, hi! We didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves before. My name is Elora," she greeted with a respectful bow.

"I'm Spyro, and these are my friends, Esther and Sparx," Spyro began while tilting his head in wonder, "What are you? Some kind of goat?"

Elora chuckled while tilting her head with Spyro, "I'm a faun, you dork!"

"Oh, sorry!"

"Did you meet the gem cutters in Glimmer?"

"Yeah, they're pretty cute for a bunch of mice. They gave us a talisman for all our hard work, too," Esther informed.

The said faun gasped in amazement, "They gave you a talisman?!"

Spyro quirked a brow, "Is it special?"

"Well, there are fourteen talismans in Avalar, and they're all magical. If you can collect enough of them, they can be used to defeat Ripto."

An idea instantly sparked in Esther's mind, but the cheetah that was with Elora earlier suddenly burst forth from the portal completely winded.

"Hunter, where have you been?" Elora asked the cheetah out of disappointment.

"Oh, I, uh…g-got a little lost," Hunter replied with a stammer.

"Spyro and Esther and gonna help us collect the talismans," Elora stated out of the blue.

"We are?" the two dragons asked in sync.

"They are?" Hunter questioned soon after.

"Look, Guys, there's no way you can get to Dragon Shores right now. Ripto and his monsters have taken over the castle here in the Summer Forest. You're going to have to go to Avalar's worlds, and convince the inhabitants to give you their talisman. Once you've gathered them all, you can use their power to get rid of Ripto for good."

"But what if we don't have time to gather them all? You saw what Ripto was capable of before. Who's to say he won't strike again at any given moment?" Esther spoke up firmly.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Hunter inquired expectantly.

"Ripto said he'd listen if we had a good reason to talk to him. Maybe I can lure him into a trap, and then you guys can-."

"Hold on there, Esther! He grounded you last time, and I'd hate ta think what he'd do to you again if he gets another chance," Spyro cut her off, "But you are onto something, I'll give you that."

"Yeah—one of us could be bait while the rest of us use what talismans we have now to capture Ripto," Elora slowly explained in agreement, "But who's gonna be the bait?"

"I'm telling you, it has to be me. No one else has a reason for requesting an audience with him, so it's the least conspicuous," Esther pointed out.

"But what if something goes wrong? What if-?"

"Spyro." Esther was quick to cut him off. "You saved my life once. Now, it's my turn to at least try and pay you back. It's only fair, and you know it."

Spyro was truly speechless. His once timid and paranoid friend was now showing strength and determination like never before, and all just to protect him and some people she had just met. Her motivations may be justified, but Spyro felt it wouldn't be enough.

"Ok, so, anybody got a real plan?" Hunter cut in.

* * *

 _It was a blur, a fuzzy memory that he insists on forgetting, but it always manages to vividly plague his mind against his will. He was standing at first, keeping his back straight while awaiting his next command._

 _And then, there was a voice, soft yet powerful, "You have done well for a novice. Perhaps you can amount to more than I had expected."_

 _He spoke next, "I wouldn't have it any other way, Orusula."_

 _"_ _Of course, I'll only be truly impressed when you bring me a real, live dragon."_

 _The voices disappeared, and the world was suddenly transformed into that of a vast sky full of thunderous, dark clouds. The rain was cold and sharp, and the lightning was his only source of light as he dove head-on towards his unsuspecting target._

 _There was one last flash of lightning before the other creature in the sky plummeted after he collided with them, sending them plummeting to their doom below._

 _The same voice from before chuckled darkly, "Well done, Ripto. Your dedication to helping me will be greatly rewarded. Now—come help me with these heavy wings."_

* * *

A loud bang on the door to Ripto's chambers awoke the wizard with a fright, but his frantic panting and rapid glances were the result of his terrible nightmare—even though it was more like a traumatic flashback.

The doors soon opened to reveal Crush, who was rapidly pointing down the hall.

"What is it, you numbskull?!" Ripto roared in annoyance. Crush then grunted something along the lines of an intruder outside the castle, to which Ripto was even more infuriated with; he wasn't about to let some idiot interrupt his sleep schedule without a rightful form of punishment.

So, Ripto slipped on his cape and headed out onto the balcony, only to be surprised when he saw that the intruder Crush was referring to was the same dragoness he cursed.

"What is she doing here?" Ripto hissed, and Crush merely shrugged in response, "Well, don't just stand there! Go get Gulp and prepare to attack when I give the signal!"

Crush then sprinted off in a hurry, all while Ripto continued to glare daggers down at Esther, "I'll deal with the pest first."

Meanwhile, Esther wandered around the castle courtyard while calling Ripto's name in hopes of getting his attention, but she couldn't find him anywhere. Eventually, she gave up on shouting and took a break to look up at the clear night sky; if she wasn't trying to trick her enemy at the moment, she would be able to fully enjoy to starry show above her.

"So, have you come to apologize for trying to hurt me?" a familiar, gruff voice asked.

"No, I came to apologize for trying to take your stick," Esther joked with a conniving grin while turning to face Ripto, who clutched his scepter closer with a disapproving glare.

"No more games. Why are you here?"

"I want you to remove this curse. A dragon is only half a dragon without their wings."

"Sorry, but I only give people one chance at a first impression, and you ruined yours."

"What if I offered my services to you?"

Ripto's eyes widened at that, "Services?"

"Yes. Someone with as much power as you shouldn't have to waste their time cleaning their own castle."

"Of course not, but why should I trust _you_? Just earlier today, you tried to kill me."

"You tried to kill me first!"

"I'm the bad guy! It's what I do!"

The two hadn't even realized how close their faces had gotten, as they huffed through clenched teeth and glared at each other.

"Be that as it may, I'm willing to make a deal if it means getting my wings back _and_ protecting my friends. What lengths are you willing to go to?" Esther growled.

Ripto was truly astonished by this dragoness' sudden change from acting before thinking to making a compromise all for the sake of her wings and her friends—he could certainly relate to at least one of those things more than anyone.

"I can't make any promises about the latter, but I may be convinced to lift the curse if you promise your eternal servitude to me," Ripto grumbled in thought.

All while Ripto and Esther were conversing, Spyro and Sparx were hiding behind a bush while Elora and Hunter hid behind a tree, acting as a weight to the other end of the rope tied amongst its branches. They made sure to hide in the correct places so that they could still see each other and Esther, in order to wait for her signal. Once she gave it, Spyro would signal Hunter and Elora to let go of the rope.

"What's taking her so long?" Hunter whispered anxiously, to which Elora immediately shushed him.

Unbeknownst to them or Esther, Ripto swore he heard something and quickly grew suspicious, looking around until he caught a short glimpse of something out of place up in one of the trees.

"So, Dragon," Ripto began while stating Esther's race like it was poison, "You really have come just to negotiate?"

"O-Of course," Esther replied as firmly as she could, but Ripto still noticed the subtle stutter in her voice, especially when he started circling her slowly.

"I don't think you're being completely honest with me, my Dear," Ripto warned her while once again forcing her to look into his eyes by placing his scepter under her chin, "I _always_ know when the trees have ears."

Mere seconds later, Ripto whipped around while firing a powerful beam up at the large net weighed down with heavy rocks, effortlessly destroying it and some of the tree's limbs. Hunter had fallen back due to putting all of his weight in holding the trap up in the first place, but Elora was quick to let go and regain her balance.

"Did you really think it would be that easy to fool me?!" Ripto cackled, all while making sure to keep his scepter ready to fire again.

"This isn't over yet!" Esther protested with a shout, even getting into a fighting stance. But she was soon lifted off of the ground when the red ring around her torso tightened and fizzled, and she struggled to escape but to no avail.

"This was over before it started," Ripto snarled right into Esther's face, even going as far as to press his snout against hers. But despite his attempts, she held her scowl.

"Let her go, Shorty!" Spyro roared and took to the sky for a large pounce, only to be stopped in mid-air by another one of Ripto's beams. He landed with a thud and luckily got away with just a bruise, but Esther panicked inside.

"I wasn't lying before!" she snapped.

"About what?" Ripto mused.

She sighed in defeat, "A-About…becoming your servant if you spared my friends."

"What?!" The others couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Esther, don't do this! I can fight him, I'll be fine!" Spyro shouted frantically while trying to stand, only to fall back down due to his dizzy vision.

"No wonder she wants to sacrifice herself for you pathetic whelps. There is literally no other way for you to get out of this alive," Ripto chuckled in great amusement, and then turned his attention to Esther, "So, how about it, Precious? How does an eternity of polishing all my treasure sound?"

"Don't you dare hurt a scale on her head!" Elora demanded.

"I wouldn't dream of it, just as long as you lot don't try to steal her back. I might even stop terrorizing Avalar—for a little while," Ripto taunted, "That sounds fair, right? You keep to your property, and I'll keep to mine. Deal?"

"But Esther's not your property!" Hunter growled.

"She is now. And if you ever wanna see her again alive, I suggest you respect that new rule. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a chore list I need to make for my new servant! Arrivederci!"

With that, Ripto laughed towards the heavens, grabbed hold of Esther, and pounded his scepter onto the ground, creating a bright flash and smoke to fill the air. And in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

"Esther! No, no! Give her back, you monster!" Spyro shouted uncontrollably, once again trying to take flight but was unable to get far with his injuries.

"Spyro, stop! You won't be saving anyone with that concussion!" Elora protested and helped Spyro back onto his feet.

"You're right…there's only one way ta save her and all of Avalar now…I've gotta gather the rest of the talismans, and then send Ripto back into whatever dark hole he crawled out of," Spyro hissed as Ripto's name rolled off of his tongue like poison.

* * *

Esther's head spun when she realized Ripto had teleported them, and she failed to stand on her own when he suddenly let go of her; she even failed to notice that they were now in a dark and damp dungeon.

"I can't believe that just happened! You guys actually tried to fight me again, and you _still_ failed! I wish I'd brought some popcorn!" Ripto laughed uncontrollably.

"Laugh while you can…i-it won't be as funny when we hit you with all the power of the talismans combined," Esther retaliated with a huff.

"Oh, please! If I couldn't find the talismans, what makes you think your idiotic friends can?" Ripto snorted in disbelief, "And any other way, you're stuck here with me whether you like it or not."

"I knew I wasn't going to like this in the first place, but I didn't have a choice. I'd do anything to save my friends, especially since one of them saved me."

"Oh, so you're trying to repay a debt? Well, good luck fulfilling that now. As long as I'm breathing, you're not going anywhere—and speaking of not going anywhere!"

With another wave of his scepter, Ripto opened a cell door and threw Esther in before locking it back.

"W-Wait, you said I was going to be your maid, not your prisoner!" Esther shouted out of terror.

"I did. This is where the maid's rest when they're off duty. Enjoy your new room, Princess!" Ripto mocked her through the bars before ascending out of the dungeon, not even looking back as Esther cried at him to let her out.

It wasn't until he reached the top of the stairs that he realized that what he had just done was not helping his ultimate goal in the slightest; he just got so caught up in the moment, he couldn't help it.

 _Good Lord, now she'll never want to help me,_ Ripto pondered with great regret, _Why do I always have to be so arrogant?_

* * *

 **Well, Esther is now in Ripto's clutches, and we have yet to find out what his true intentions with her are.**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Attempting Friendship

Chapter 3 - Attempting Friendship

Crush and Gulp had awoken the next morning to the sound of their stomachs rumbling, so they didn't hesitate to head to the kitchen and satiate their hunger. But upon entering the kitchen, they were greeted with an—interesting sight; instead of the lizard chef that they had enslaved, Ripto was standing atop a stool to reach into a cabinet full of plates. And when he finally grabbed and plate and noticed his cronies, he merely gave them a sideways glance before setting the plate on the countertop.

"What? I can't just let her starve," Ripto calmly protested with a shrug, as he grabbed a couple pieces of bread, placed some pieces of ham on one piece, and slathered some mayonnaise on the other.

Gulp opened his mouth to grunt something in response, but Ripto was way ahead of him, "Yes, I know I could ask the chef or some other servant to bring this to her, but I need to keep a close eye on her. It'll only help me find out everything I can about her."

The two lackeys shared confused looks, and Ripto once again sensed this, "No, I'm _not_ using this as an excuse to get all buddy-buddy with her. Don't be so naïve—although, I suppose being more hospitable will only help make her surrender all the more quick."

As if by a miracle, Ripto began rambling again just before Crush was about to speak, "I've got it! I should give her more friendly living quarters! What an excellent idea, glad I thought of it!"

Crush and Gulp rolled their eyes as their master left the kitchen and headed towards the dungeon entrance, all while holding his head high and walking with a subtle pep in his step. He wasn't surprised to be greeted with the sight of Esther being curled up in a pile of straw in the corner while taking a peek through the bars; he then unlocked the door, causing Esther to wake with a start and squint her eyes at the bright light piercing the dark cell.

"I hope you like mayo," Ripto began jokingly, only for Esther to back further into her cell, "Oh, come on! Don't be such a burden! I made this for you, after all. It's only polite that you at least try it."

With that, Ripto twirled his scepter to pull on the magic bounds on Esther's wings, dragging her out of the cell and shutting the cell door behind her.

"W-Where are you taking m-me now? A c-colder, darker cell?" Esther shivered.

"Ha-ha. You're quite the comedian," Ripto mumbled sarcastically, and began forcing her to walk alongside him, "Don't be a Smart Alec, especially since I'm offering to give you a much nicer room."

"W-Why would you let o-one of your servants live s-s-somewhere nicer?"

"You don't see anyone else down here, do you? I only locked you up last night because I had flown off the handle a bit. I thought I'd try to make amends."

"W-Why are you suddenly b-being so n-nice to me?"

"I know better than anyone not to take your blessings for granted, and a maid working for free is definitely a blessing in my book. Now, will you please stop complaining about my hospitality? A simple 'thank you' would suffice."

Esther remained speechless for the rest of their walk, and they eventually stopped outside of a room in a tower. Ripto opened the door for her, revealing a cozy room with a grand bed, a large wardrobe, and a window with a great view of the south side of the castle courtyard.

"Well?" Ripto urged.

"It's…um…" was all Esther could say.

Ripto waved his hand dismissively after placing the plate on a nightstand, "It's trying too hard, I know. But know that this is all just to earn your undivided loyalty, nothing else. And furthermore-."

"Why?"

That one word was enough to stop Ripto dead in his sentence, mostly because of her rude interruption.

"Why, what?"

"I-I just don't get it. I'm one of the things you hate most. I mean, I understand trying to keep your servants alive for your benefit, but why me? I am still a dragon," Esther explained in great confusion.

"Well, you answered your own question. Yes, I do despise dragons, but I try to avoid any _messy_ encounters with them or anyone, for that matter. And either way, a live servant is always better than a dead one. Wouldn't you agree?"

Esther didn't know what to say, so she merely nodded.

"Good. Don't bring it up again. And I want you to wash the dishes, mop the dining room and kitchen floors, and set the table for dinner when you're done eating."

Ripto left without another word, rolling his eyes as he closed the door behind him. Esther was still terribly confused confused; she couldn't wrap her head around why her captor and enemy was suddenly being a descent host. But she supposed that whatever the reason for his odd behavior, she knew it was safe to play along for the time being.

And as Ripto slowly walked down the empty hallway, he grabbed his necklace and gazed down at it, mentally praying to it, _Please, let her be enough._

* * *

Spyro couldn't forgive himself. After everything Esther did to try and protect him, he failed to save her in return; and now, she was trapped in Ripto's clutches, and there was no telling what he would do to her. That was the worst part. But Spyro knew he needed help, and he needed it now; it didn't help that he was still trapped in Avalar.

He had already gone through the ice world full of Colossus and competed in some tough hockey games, and he would do it all again if it meant getting enough talismans to travel back to the Dragon Realms to get help. But more than anything, he needed to tell Esther's older brother and father what had happened.

"Please, tell me there's some kind of shortcut to getting this portal to work again," Spyro begged the Professor.

"I'm sorry, Spyro. Ripto damaged it beyond repair. The only way to get it to work now would be to collect enough talismans, and use their power to jumpstart a new one," the Professor reluctantly explained, as he salvaged what he could from the portal's wreckage in Glimmer.

"So, what you're basically saying is that we have to build another one from scratch _as well as_ find all the talismans if we're going to get it to work in the first place," Spyro rambled matter-of-factly.

The Professor nodded, "Precisely."

Spyro sighed and shook his head, "I was afraid of that."

"How about this? While Elora and Hunter keep their eyes on Ripto, so that they can report to us where he's going to be next, you can follow him and keep him in one place long enough. Then, I might be able to get the portal working for a short amount of time to allow you to send him through to an unknown world where he can't bother us again. And _then_ , we can focus on rescuing Esther and getting you home."

"That…that's a brilliant idea, Professor!" Spyro exclaimed with high hopes.

"Yes, well. They don't call me 'The Professor' for no reason," the said old mole chuckled boastfully.

"I've gotta hurry and gather more talismans! See you later, Professor!"

With that, Spyro sprinted off to search for the nearest portal to a new land that would hopefully allow him access to another talisman. If the Professor's plan was going to work, which it had to, he needed all the power he could get.

* * *

Esther stood on her hind legs while putting most of her strength in moving the mop around the clean the floor in the dining room; she had just finished washing the dishes, and she planned on finishing what few chores she was given in order to appeal to Ripto's better nature.

And speak of the devil…

"Your cleaning skills could use work—but I suppose they're better than Crush's attempts," Ripto commented dryly, as he examined his smeared reflection on the shiny floor.

"Well, to be fair, the Dragon Worlds don't really have a lot of stone floors to mop," Esther protested with a shrug.

"Be that as it may, you need to mop in small sections, not the whole floor all at once," the horned wizard instructed firmly.

Esther quirked a brow in confusion, "Um, ok—how do you know a mopping technique?"

Ripto's eyes narrowed, "That's none of your concern, _Dragon_."

"Do you even know my name?"

"No, and I don't care. Now, finish up here, so that you can start setting the table."

Just as Ripto tried to pass Esther and be on his way, the mop slipped in the excess soapy water when Esther began cleaning again. But she lost her balance and her feet slipped as well, causing her to fall back into Ripto; luckily for her, he managed to catch her just in time, but the dip she was now in left their faces awkwardly close together as their eyes locked.

A confused grunt grabbed their attention, and they looked up to find that both Crush and Gulp had snuck into the dining room unnoticed; the two cronies stood in silent bewilderment when they saw their master holding a dragon in his arms.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Ripto roared and immediately dropped Esther, causing her to land like a rag doll on her back.

"Ow…" Esther muttered in pain.

Crush raised a claw and opened his mouth to speak, but Ripto quickly spoke first, "Don't say a word!"

"U-um…Ripto?" Esther reluctantly spoke up after getting back up on her feet.

"What?!" Ripto snapped while whipping his head back around.

"You dropped your scepter." As soon as Esther finished her sentence, she carefully picked up Ripto's scepter, for he unknowingly dropped it after catching her. She carefully made her way across the wet floor, and successfully approached Ripto without slipping; the said wizard was speechless when the dragoness handed him the one thing that kept her grounded and even destroy her.

"Did you hit your head when I dropped you?" Ripto eventually asked.

"What? Why would you ask that?"

"I-It doesn't matter! Just finish your chores, and then go back to your room until further notice! Now!"

Esther jumped back while quickly mopping in the opposite direction, and Ripto's gaze eventually fell on Crush and Gulp, who were still utterly surprised.

"One more word, and I'm locking _you simpletons_ in the dungeon instead," Ripto hissed warningly while stomping out of the room. Crush and Gulp did remain quiet, but the wheels in their heads started turning as they watched Esther frantically finish cleaning the floors. Ripto obviously wasn't going to be making any real progress on his own, so he was going to need a push.

* * *

 **Well, I guess you can't expect someone like Ripto to be good at friendship right off the bat, right?**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Take it from Moneybags

**I LIIIIIIVE!**

 **Oddly enough, I was watching Mulan while writing this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 4 - Take it from Moneybags

Moneybags was a bear of few goals in life since his main mindset is always focused on making more money. He would do anything just to gain another gem—aside from maybe giving his own life. But he was even willing to affiliate with one of Avalar's newest and most dangerous threats: Ripto. But after hearing what his two henchmen had to say, Moneybags' view on the tyrant quickly went from intimidating to downright confusing.

"Let me get this straight," Moneybags began as he waited in Summer Forest for certain purple dragon to come back, and ask for more lessons in a another feat he would probably need for later, "You're saying that Ripto—your master, evil wizard, and tyrannical king that threatens to destroy everything—needs friendship advice? And not only that, but you're asking _me_ for said advice?"

Crush and Gulp nodded in sync, hoping that they've pleaded their case well enough for the greedy bear to understand the situation.

"Why in all the realms would Ripto want to make a friend when he's far more advanced in making enemies?" Moneybags questioned in disbelief.

The two henchmen exchanged glances before growling and grunting something about a curse.

"A curse, eh? And I presume the curse needs to be broken by Ripto's 'friend'?"

Crush and Gulp nodded once more, this time with more desperation.

Moneybags grinned, "Well—I am fairly skilled at smooth talking people into getting what I want, so perhaps I could convince Ripto and this 'friend' to see eye to eye. For a small fee, of course."

* * *

Ripto was merely roaming the halls while searching for Crush and Gulp, who seemed to have mysteriously disappeared, when he stepped out onto a balcony that has been baking in the warm and bright midday sun. He had to admit that the warmth and gentle breeze felt nice against his rough skin, which had been battered and worn through dark deeds years back.

But when Ripto opened his eyes and glanced down at the courtyard, he noticed Esther trotting about the grass and picking flowers, even bundling them up into a bouquet in one of her paws. He couldn't recall asking her to perform any outdoor chores, so he hurried to the nearest set of stairs.

Meanwhile, Esther was picking a small bunch of violet lilacs, and took a gentle whiff of their sweet smell. She turned around to head back into the castle, but was immediately greeted by Ripto's cold glare and grossed arms.

"What're you doing?" Ripto sneered.

"Oh, sorry! I was picking flowers to put around the castle," Esther replied nervously.

"Why?"

"Well, the air inside is a little—stagnant, so I thought I'd bring some flowers in to freshen it up."

"I wish I could appreciate your offer, but flowers are demeaning for a powerful king like me. Get rid of them."

Esther stuttered as she watched Ripto turn to leave, "B-But-."

"Now!" Ripto scolded while whipping back around to bare his teeth, which shocked Esther. She stood in silence as they locked eyes, and she shuddered when she saw his grip on his scepter tighten.

"Fine," Esther squeaked in fear, and set the flowers down in a heap before walking back into the castle with her head hung low. Once she was gone, Ripto angry expression transformed to that of remorse, as he sighed let his shoulder droop a little.

"That's not how you speak to a lady, you know." Ripto's eyes popped wide at the sudden and stuck up voice, to which he turned and saw the infamous Moneybags approaching with Crush and Gulp. Instead of focusing on Moneybags' intrusion, Ripto instantly set his fiery gaze on Crush and Gulp.

"Where have you two been?!" Ripto snapped.

"They went out looking for me, and for good reason. I hear you need help, Mr. Ripto," Moneybags cut in as carefully as he could, as to not anger Ripto even more.

"What makes you think I'd want _your_ help, fat bear?" Ripto growled and prepared to use his scepter.

"Negativities aside, these two have informed me that you are struggling with a friendship problem."

"Who died and made you the princess of friendship?"

"They also mentioned that you need her to break a curse."

Ripto's glare widened into surprise for a mere second, before he glared daggers at Crush and Gulp again, "You told him?!"

"Relax, they didn't say what the curse did or who cast it. They only said that you need help," Moneybags was quick to defend them, "And I can help you."

Ripto sneered, "I'm not asking how because I'm curious, but so I can judge your pathetic idea."

Moneybags rolled his eyes, "Be that as it may, I'm quite active in my social life, and my powers of persuasion are uncanny—just ask my countless patrons."

"Can you stop gloating over your little tax collection, and just tell me what your stupid plan is already?"

"Certainly," Moneybags mused with a grin, "But just remember that when me plan works-."

"If it works!" Ripto hissed while pushing the glowing crystal on his scepter into Moneybags' face.

The said bear merely poked the crystal away, "If it works, you will owe me."

* * *

After Moneybags had explained to Ripto that he must begin with a more gentle approach, he became quite reluctant when he found out that Crush and Gulp had prepared the dining table for a fancy dinner.

"What's all this pansy stuff for? I'm not trying to woo her," Ripto grumbled and grimaced at the fancy candles and silverware.

"The best way to get onto a lady's good side is to treat her like a beautiful and delicate flower. Courtship isn't always necessary when trying to appeal to someone's better nature," Moneybags explained firmly, "And since you are the one trying to prove to her that you are not a monster-I mean, brute—I-I mean…um…"

"That's not exactly helping my image," Ripto deadpanned.

"Right, well—ahem! I was going to say that _you_ should invite her to dinner. Show her that you have good hospitality."

"I already gave her a good room. Why do I have to give her a better dietary plan, too?"

"It just means that you have kindness."

Ripto's face scrunched up into another scowl, "Kindness didn't help me get what I wanted in life."

Moneybags stared back nonchalantly, "It certainly isn't what got into this situation."

Crush and Gulp's eyes went wide at Moneybags' remark, for they knew Ripto wasn't happy to hear that. It only served as a reminder of what he did in the past. But he remained calm nonetheless.

"Fine," Ripto growled before making his way down the hall and up the stairs to Esther's bedroom, but he stood in silence and fear when he reached his destination. After the way he treated her today, albeit not a surprise, was still quite rude. He didn't want to admit it, but Ripto felt guilty and even more worried with how she would react to seeing him again.

But he eventually gathered his courage, took a deep breath in, and gently knocked on the door, "Um…Dragon, I was wondering…well, you know, despite what happened today…oh, this isn't working. Look, I just wanted to see if you…i-if you wanted…to…oh, just answer me already!"

Ripto pushed the door open violently, but was shocked when he found that Esther was nowhere in sight. What he did see, though, was that the bed sheets and blankets had been tied into a long rope, one end attached to the frame of the bed, and the other hanging out of the window. He rushed to the window, and just he expected, the other end of the makeshift rope reached the ground below.

It wasn't easy to see much now that night had fallen, but Ripto could still see a portal in the distance. If his instincts were correct, then that was exactly where Esther went. But what really scared him was that he knew how dangerous the world on the other side of that portal could be.

* * *

Esther sprinted until her lungs burned and her claws dug grooves in the ground, even when she entered a portal that led to a new world called "Colossus." The ground was ice cold and covered in many large mounds of snow, and large icicles hung from the structures built here.

If she wasn't running for her life, she would be able to marvel at how the snow twinkled perfectly under the light of the moon and stars. But she knew she could have more time for that later. She had to find Spyro first. After Ripto had yelled at her earlier that day, she sulked in her room but saw Spyro run across the yard and enter the portal. So, she escaped and followed him, hoping to find him and get rescued.

But after searching for a while, and not having found any trace of Spyro, Esther began to lose hope and fear that it may be too late. And if she doesn't find a way out soon, Ripto was sure to find her. Finding a way out would be easier said than done, though, for her vision hadn't adjusted to the dark yet, despite the moon's illumination. She squinted in an attempt to see the large objects lying still in the distance, but there was a large gap in the way. Normally, gliding would be the best option for getting over it, but Esther hadn't forgotten about the magical ring keeping her wings bound to her sides.

But she remembered how Spyro complimented her charging skills, so she backed up quite a bit before running as fast as she could. She jumped with all her might, and just barely made it as she clung to the other edge. She clawed at the icy wall with her back feet until she pulled herself up, and slowly approached the large objects ahead.

"Hello?" Esther called out and took another step closer, only to stop dead in her tracks when the largest object stood up and revealed itself to be a yak, while the two smaller objects around it were rams with giant sets of horns. She could tell that they did like her company, due to the way their nostrils flared and hooves stomped.

Esther immediately turned tail and ran away, but the Yak and goats didn't hesitate to chase after her. They chased her out onto a huge lake that had been completely frozen over, and she skid across when she tried to stop. She hoped that their hooves would make them slide across the ice just as far, but they knew the land better than she did and easily caught up.

She tried to run away, but her claws slid across the slippery ice, allowing the yak to catch up first and ram her. The momentum sent her flying across the lake, and bouncing over the short wooden barrier. Once again, she just barely avoided falling by clinging to the edge, and she didn't dare to look down at her cloudy doom below.

The yak soon approached the edge, and threatened to stomp at her claws to make her let go. But just as he raised one hoof, a powerful blast hit him from the side, sending him colliding into a nearby wall and knocking him unconscious.

Esther quickly began climbing back up to see who her savior was, but was both thankful and fearful when she saw none other than Ripto, scepter blazing with power, preparing to fight the angry rams. He hastily fired at the first one to charge, knocking it out cold as it slid to the other side of the lake. But while he was distracted with the first ram, the other one used the opportunity to ram him into another wall. The impact wasn't strong enough to make Ripto knock him unconscious, but it was enough to make his skull rattle and blur his vision.

The remaining ram scraped its hoof on the ice before charging, horns lowered and breath heaving. But just as the ram began to pick up speed, Esther had already managed to pull herself to safety and jumped up onto the ram's back. She bit down hard on the ram's ear, causing it to cry in pain and avert its attention from Ripto to Esther. It did what it could to buck her off, and she jumped off just before the ram failed to notice that it was heading right for another wall.

Before the ram could comprehend what was happening, it ran into the wall with full-on speed and accidentally lodged its horns deep into the wall. It tried to dislodge itself, but soon gave up and bleated in defeat.

Esther then realized that this was her chance to escape, and she was just about to get back to her original goal of finding a way back to Summer Forest when she looked back at Ripto. He was still struggling to regain his bearings, as he shakily attempted to stand back up, only to collapse back down.

Esther looked up and noticed dark and thick clouds approaching, which could only mean that there was likely going to be a snowstorm. And there were likely going to be more territorial yaks and rams around as well. She couldn't just leave him here. She wouldn't.

She made her way over to Ripto, and gently took one of his hands in her claws. Although his eyes still rolled around uncontrollably, Ripto could barely make out Esther's shape as she looked him right in the eyes.

"I'm going to help you, but you need to get up," Esther whispered softly, to which Ripto understood. He said nothing as he grunted, grasping Esther's paw even tighter as he wobbly stood back up. But he instantly lost balance again, so Esther had to let him lean against her. She picked up his scepter in her jaws, and carefully and slowly led Ripto back to Summer Forest, all while holding his hand.

* * *

When Esther and Ripto returned, the sky had been blanketed by the blue and purple colors of twilight. Moneybags had left by now, but Crush and Gulp had been waiting up for their master ever since he disappeared. They were both surprised to see him limping alongside Esther, as he groaned and gripped his head in pain.

Gulp was quick to take Ripto off of Esther's shoulder, and carry him the rest of the way to his chambers. Gulp carefully laid Ripto flat in his bed, but the latter was still groaning in pain.

"Get…out…" Ripto grumbled while rolling onto his side, and turned his back to the others.

Gulp and Crush were just about to leave when Esther stepped forward, and placed her front paws on the bed. The two were fearful as to how Ripto would react to Esther's disobedience.

"Where does it hurt most?" Esther finally spoke, as she scanned Ripto for any major injuries. Luckily, she found none.

"I-I said…get out…ugh!" Ripto grunted before gripping his forehead in immense pain. Esther took that as a surefire sign that his head was causing the most pain, so she carefully placed one paw on his shoulder to roll him back over, and the other paw on his forehead. She closed her eyes and concentrated solely on resonating magic.

Soon enough, Esther's claws glowed with a soft green aura, and it engulfed Ripto's head with a few shimmering sparkles. Gulp and Crush watched in bewilderment, as Ripto's grunting soon turned into sighs of relief. He lowered his hand and stared up at the ceiling, his eyes no longer rolling, his vision much clearer, and his head no longer throbbing.

He looked at Esther when she removed her paw and the green glow dissipated, but immediately sat up and turned away when he realized his moment of weakness.

"How did you do that?" he growled without facing her.

"It's something I learned from some wizards in Magic Crafters. I'm not nearly as good as them, though. I can only heal simple things, like scrapes and bruises," Esther gently explained while examining the paw she used to heal Ripto, "It's a good thing that ram didn't cause more damage. And, well…"

Ripto cocked a brow at Esther's awkward pause, and he hopped off of his bed and grabbed his scepter, "Well, what?"

"Thank you for saving me. And I'm sorry. You wouldn't have gotten hurt if I hadn't run away in the first place."

Ripto stared with a softer expression. He couldn't understand why she was apologizing after the way he treated her earlier.

"Why did you go to Colossus anyway?" Ripto couldn't help but ask.

"I saw Spyro go through the portal, so I tried to follow him," Esther sighed while sitting on her haunches.

"So that you could be rescued," Ripto added matter-of-factly, to which Esther nodded in response, "Look, I— _regret_ how I acted towards you. I hope we can put it behind us."

Crush and Gulp couldn't believe it. That was the closest thing to a willing apology they had ever heard from their brutal master. Esther looked up at Ripto, and although it wasn't much, she could see the tiniest twinge of remorse in his eyes.

So, she smiled a little and lifted her head, "I think I can do that, but only if you promise to take it easy for a little while. I won't be able to heal you if you hurt yourself even more."

Ripto scoffed, "I didn't ask for your concern."

"You don't need to." Esther then started to leave the room, but stopped in the doorway and looked back at Ripto. "Goodnight."

Without another word, she disappeared out the doorway, and left Ripto and his cronies in stunned silence. It was just so amazing how forgiving she could be. But despite everything that happened today, Ripto felt that he made progress. He also felt that Crush and Gulp have over welcomed their stay during the whole conversation.

"What're you buffoons looking at?" Ripto growled and sent cold glares towards his minions, to which they immediately scurried out of his room. At least Ripto got the push they were hoping for.

* * *

 **I couldn't write this without making a chapter in homage to the classic scene from Beauty and the Beast, where Beast saves Belle from the wolves. It's just too brilliant not to be inspired by it. Right?**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Dance Lessons

Chapter 5 - Dance Lessons

Ripto awoke the next morning with a splitting headache, figuring it from the pain he felt yesterday. They aren't kidding when they say, "You'll feel that in the morning." He slowly got out of bed, slipped on his cape and made sure to grab his scepter before going on a search for Esther. If she could sooth his pain once, there was no reason why she couldn't do it again.

But the wizard looked all over the castle, and couldn't find any trace of the dragoness. She wasn't even in her room, yet it was still really early in the morning. He supposed that she might be an early bird.

After searching all over the castle, Ripto headed outside into the peeking sunlight and cool morning breeze. He checked any nearby flower patches to see if Esther was picking flowers again, but she was still nowhere to be found. Ripto decided to check the other side of the yard, but did a double take when he caught a glimpse of something over by the bridge.

It was the bridge he shattered in hopes of keeping anyone, especially that meddling purple dragon and his friends, away from him. Obviously, the plan didn't work since Esther mentioned seeing Spyro around the castle just the day before, but Ripto remained determined in case his enemy got anymore ideas.

He approached the bridge that once stretched over a small cove, and he blinked when he saw that his suspicions were correct. Esther was sitting at the edge of the bridge, and stared at the other side.

Ripto tried not to scare her by gently tapping her shoulder, but Esther still jumped ever so slightly with a little gasp. But she sighed when she realized it was just Ripto, and went back to staring at the other side of the bridge.

"Oh, it's just you. You kinda startled me," she stated sheepishly.

"I tried not to," Ripto mustered, "What're you doing out here?"

"If I tell you, will you promise not to get upset?"

"That depends."

"Well, I—I realized that the only way Spyro could've gotten across was if he-if he flew. And it reminded me of when I could fly."

The sorrow and longing in Esther's tone was painfully obvious, and it tugged harshly at Ripto's guilty conscious. But he quickly blinked and shook his head.

"You miss flying that much?" he deadpanned.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Look, if it makes you feel any better…" Ripto paused and pinched his temples, struggling to find the right words without sounding too sympathetic. "…I'm not keeping you grounded forever, just for a little while. I need to make sure you don't escape or that someone doesn't try to take you from me before…"

Esther cocked a brow in confusion, "Before what?"

"D-Don't worry about it," Ripto denied with a stutter.

There was another awkward silence between the two, and Esther eventually glanced down at the lush cove beneath the broken bridge.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" she asked with a sigh.

"What, that little mud hole down there?" he grumbled and took a look for himself, but only grimaced at the soft piece of land.

Esther couldn't help but giggle, "It's not a mud hole! Come on, I'll show you!"

"I'd rather not-!" Before Ripto could finish his protest, Esther had already began trotting down the pieces of the bridge that had conveniently fallen to form a staircase. He growled and rolled his eyes in defeat before begrudgingly following her down.

Esther laughed and marveled as she playfully ran through the soft grass, for it was much softer and greener than the grass in the castle courtyard. Ripto could only quirk a brow at how spry she was acting, especially when she stopped at the small waterfall on the other side of the cove and splashed her paws in it.

"If you don't stop, you're going to fall in," Ripto informed with a grumble.

"No, I won't! It's perfectly safe, and it's only a couple feet deep, anyway!" Esther argued while continuing to put her paws into the waterfall. She even began splashing the cool water onto her face, which caused Ripto's eyes to widen.

He wasn't just surprised, but he was more focused on how the sun glimmered off of her scales and horns when covered with water. He never really had the chance to stop and take in her true beauty before.

 _Beauty?! Are you crazy?! She's not beautiful, she's naïve!_ Ripto mentally scolded himself, only to be pulled from his mental argument when he heard a yelp. Just as he predicted, Esther somehow managed to slip and fall into the shallow stream. She quickly emerged, water dripping from her horns, and blushed madly when she realized her mistake.

"Uh, heh-heh…will you look at that? I _did_ fall in," Esther laughed meekly, but soon submerged a little into the water, "But the water does feel really nice."

"You'd better not catch pneumonia," Ripto simply stated.

"I won't! And why don't you come in? The water's great!"

"I don't wish to get my cape wet, let alone partake in such a childish activity."

"What's so childish about swimming? And you can just take your cape off, can't you?"

"Yes, but there's no point. I'm just not into swimming, and the water isn't even deep enough to swim in, anyway."

Esther's eyes widened at that, "Ripto, you're right!"

Ripto once again cocked a brow, but didn't have time to register Esther's next reaction when she suddenly jumped out of the stream and sprinted up and out of the cove. She hadn't explained what she was doing, so Ripto followed her a bit quicker than last time. He just barely got to the top when he saw Esther make a big leap and dive into one of the lakes outside of the castle.

He facepalmed and growled while walking out into the courtyard, and waited for Esther to resurface. It wasn't long before she breached the water, and began backstroking across the surface. Crush and Gulp eventually emerged from the castle, and watched in awe as Esther truly smiled for the first time since Ripto took her prisoner.

"C'mon in! The water's great!" Esther called to the two monsters, and they smiled and wasted no time in running in jumping in cannonball style. Both of them caused a big splash that nearly hit Ripto, to which he was mildly annoyed.

But what Ripto soon noticed was that there was no sign of Esther on top of or under the water. He didn't want to, but he began to panic, as he frantically looked around for her.

"Where is she?! Did you idiots land on her?!" Ripto scolded his underlings, failing to notice someone creeping up behind him.

"Ripto." The said tyrant instantly stiffened and turned around, and very surprised to find Esther standing behind him.

"I'm fine. I climbed out of the water before they jumped in," Esther reassured.

"U-Um…yes, that's good! If those imbeciles had hurt you I would've-," Ripto rambled on while glaring daggers at Crush and Gulp, but soon stopped himself mid-sentence, and sent a scowl towards Esther, "Th-That's not what I meant!"

"Calm down, Ripto. I think it's sweet that you were worried about me, and there's nothing wrong with that," Esther giggled with a slight blush.

"Believe me, there are many, _many_ things wrong with that."

"Just like there are too many things wrong with a little swimming?"

"Exactly. And I don't care how petty I sound, I'm not getting in the water."

Esther blinked in surprise, "Ripto, do you not know how to swim?"

Ripto grunted, "Ugh, no! That's not the case! I told you, I just don't like swimming!"

"Why don't you like it?"

"Why do _you_ care so much?"

"Because I just want you to have fun, too."

Ripto's expression softened at that. This dragoness was unbelievable. With everything she's been through ever since he went with him to keep her friends safe, she kept stunning him with her persistent hope and joy.

 _Quit it! There's nothing stunning about her!_ Ripto once again found himself mentally scolding his thoughts of Esther.

"But if you don't want to join in the fun, I understand. I can't force you to do something that you don't like," Esther sighed in defeat while slipping back into the water, and slowly paddled to the other side of the lake.

Crush and Gulp both watched Esther and eventually turned towards Ripto. He stared back at them, unsure of what to do. The two monsters motioned towards Esther with expecting expressions, trying to tell their master to suck it up indulge in her attempts at fun.

"Do I have to?" Ripto sighed in annoyance, only for Gulp to give him a deadpan look and for Crush to cross his arms again. It seemed they would always give him that look when trying to remind Ripto of his ultimate goal here.

Ripto eventually gave up and let out a long sigh, and carefully started removing his cape and setting it aside. He made sure to instruct Crush and Gulp to keep a close watch on his scepter as well, as he refused to take it into the water. But he didn't take off the amulet around his neck, for he didn't know what he would do if something happened to it.

He then slowly and reluctantly made his way to the edge of the shore, carefully sitting down and sliding into the water with a small splash. He created small ripples as he quietly swam towards Esther, and the latter quickly noticed the ripples.

She turned around to see who was creating the subtle movement, but gasped in utter surprise when she found that it was none other than Ripto.

"Happy now?" he grumbled and crossed his arms, only to quickly unfold them when he nearly sank below the water.

"Yes, very," Esther chuckled while swimming around him. She realized that he was slightly less intimidating without his daunting cape, but she was also surprised that he left his scepter behind just to amuse her. And then she noticed something else…

"How come you didn't take off your amulet?" she asked while pointing a claw at the crimson jewel.

"That doesn't concern you," he hissed while pulling it away from her.

"I-I was just curious."

"It's really special to me, and that's all I'm saying."

"I can respect that. Let's just enjoy the water."

Esther then dove underwater without warning, taking Ripto and the others by surprise when she performed sharp banking turns and spirals in the water. They were really caught off guard when she leaped out of the water like a dolphin, and flew over Ripto in a perfect arch.

"Show off," Ripto scoffed, but was still impressed by her moves.

"Isn't this fun?" Esther giggled.

"Sure. Why not?" he replied sarcastically.

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud."

Ripto froze when Esther suddenly took one of his hands in her own, and gently started pulling him with her. He didn't know how to react at first and simply went along with it, but was starting to panic when Esther started spinning him around her.

It was like she pulled him into some aquatic dance, and he was not prepared for it. Gulp and Crush watched from the sidelines, grinning and elbowing each other in high hopes. They should've let Esther take initiative sooner. She clearly knew what she was doing with each push and pull, twist and turn with Ripto, despite his obvious lack of dancing experience.

Ripto tried mimicking her moves to make sure he didn't mess up, and it seemed to be working at first. But Esther was so caught up in the moment, she closed her eyes and twirled while holding hands with Ripto. It wasn't until she came twirling back towards him and was pressed chest-to-chest with him that she seemed come out of it.

Crush and Gulp were bewildered, but Ripto was absolutely frozen and blushed madly. Esther slowly blinked her eyes open, and yelped and backed away when she noticed how close she was to Ripto. They had never had that kind of physical contact, not since that one time when she slipped after mopping the floor and he caught her. But even that was mild compared to this.

"I-I'm so sorry! I d-didn't mean to! I just got so caught up in the moment!" Esther frantically apologized, a dark blush across her own face, as she swam away a few feet and turned away, "I just…I've always loved to dance."

Ripto was still speechless, and struggled to find the right words while looking back at Gulp and Crush for answers again. But the two only shrugged and shook their heads in befuddlement.

"W-Well, I, um…" Ripto fumbled with his words at first, ultimately sighing in defeat, "I thought you were—good."

Esther blinked in surprise and turned back around, only to find Ripto's blush remaining as he scratched the back of his head.

"You really think so?" she questioned meekly.

"I-I mean, it's not the best thing I've ever seen! But I did find it—mildly impressive."

Despite his obvious struggle to give a compliment, Esther's blush darkened and she smiled brightly. She once again grabbed one of his hands gently, which got his attention and ceased his stuttering.

"You're a great dancer, too."

Ripto cleared his throat, and pulled his hand out of Esther's grasp, "Oh, no. I don't dance."

"You sure? You seem pretty good at it. And if you practice, I'm sure you'd be excellent."

"Well, like swimming, I find dancing pointless and a waste of time." Ripto paused and pondered deeply for a moment, figuring he could make some more progress with Esther if he indulged her some more. "But—I _might_ be convinced to let you teach me."

"Really?" Esther gasped, her smile widening and her eyes sparkling.

"I said maybe," Ripto repeated firmly.

"Then I better teach you now while you're feeling up to it. It'll be easier to teach you on land."

With that, the two swam back to shore and climbed out of the water. Ripto grabbed his scepter and used it to conjure up two towels, one for each of them. Ripto did the best he could to dry his clothes, but began to ignore the lingering dampness of the cloth when Esther finished drying herself off.

Esther awkwardly stood up on her hind legs, and grabbed one of Ripto's hands once more.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," Ripto muttered in disbelief.

"No, no! It'll be fine, I promise," Esther quickly protested, "Now, just take your other hand and put it on my back."

"What?!"

"It's a normal waltz position, nothing too awkward or touchy. Then, I take my other hand, and I put it over your shoulder."

Once Esther was finished with her instructions, she and Ripto were once again pressed close together in a waltz position. It was difficult for either of them to make eye contact at first, but then Esther came up with an idea.

"How about this? If I successfully teach you how to dance, I get to tell you my name," Esther suggested.

Ripto mentally facepalmed, _Shoot! I can't believe I don't know her name after all this time! Nice going, Moron!_

"Fine, but only if you succeed," Ripto reluctantly agreed.

"Challenge accepted. Just follow my lead. Step forward with your left foot, step left with your left foot, and then…" As Esther continued through her waltzing instructions, Ripto paid significantly close attention to every word and step.

Unfortunately, Ripto missed a step and accidentally stepped on Esther's foot, causing him to panic inside.

"Are you ok—I-I mean, I didn't say what you think I said!" Ripto once again struggled with his words, especially when he noticed that he was checking Esther's safety. Most times, he'd rather be caught dead than ask if someone was feeling alright.

"I'm ok, Ripto, really. You're bound to make mistakes if you've never danced before," Esther stated in an attempt to ease his nerves, to which Ripto stared at her in confusion.

"Why aren't you angry?"

"Because it was just an accident."

"What if I had done it on purpose?"

"Don't be silly. I trust you to know you wouldn't do that."

Ripto's eyes widened in shock, "You—trust me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

 _I trust you brought back your fair share of game, Ripto?_ The words echoed in Ripto's head, giving him more flashbacks that he always tried to forget. He grunted and shook his head, which worried Esther.

"Are you ok?" she asked out of great concern.

"I'm fine," he replied flatly while letting go of Esther, "I've had enough with the dance lessons, and you're behind on your chores."

"Ok," Esther sighed before noticing Ripto's cape on the ground, "Would you like me to wash your cape?"

"Yes, whatever. But first…" Ripto paused while grabbing his scepter, and turned to give Esther a side glance. "…tell me your name."

"What? But I thought you said you were done with the lessons," Esther pointed out in surprise.

Ripto chuckled and grinned at her, "I said that I was done, not that they didn't work."

Esther smiled at the fact that someone seemingly as evil as Ripto stayed true to his word. She supposed that he might have a soft side after all.

"It's Esther."

* * *

 **Hoo! This was a big one! In fact, I didn't think this chapter would be this long, so I surprised myself, too.**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Cinnamon Rolls

**I have a little update concerning Esther, and it's kinda important. For those of you who just recently started reading, do not worry about it.** **Esther's design was originally blue with green details, but the green colors didn't sit well with me, so I changed her green details to a pale yellow. Again, it's a pretty small note, but I just wanted to point that out.**

* * *

Chapter 6 - Cinnamon Rolls

Elora froze in place, as the unbelievable scene played out before her. The faun merely wanted to take a walk through Summer Forest in hopes of checking on Esther, but she hadn't expected her or Ripto and his monsters to be outside of the castle. And she certainly hadn't expected to see the said evil sorcerer swimming in the lakes on the castle grounds, with Esther of all people.

Given how Ripto made his hatred for dragons painfully obvious, Elora was stunned to find him treating her with respect and—having fun? Not only that, but they soon got out of the water and started dancing together. That was what took Elora by surprise the most.

What could Esther possibly be doing that would turn Ripto soft? Was she distracting him so that he could be defeated? Elora hoped for the best, and knew she couldn't stand around with valuable information like this. She needed to tell Spyro and the others.

She just hoped Esther will be able to fend for herself long enough for them to come up with a plan.

* * *

Ripto couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. His head had been racking with the events of earlier today, and worst of all—he couldn't get Esther off of his mind. It didn't help that he finally knew her name, and now he felt the burning and courteous need to actually call her that.

Whenever Ripto's mind was racing, he preferred to be alone, and he didn't care how, but he had to hang upside-down. He told Crush and Gulp that he wanted to be alone to think, and he retreated to his room and hung his head off of the side of his bed. Hanging upside-down in some way had always helped Ripto calm down and think, but he eventually realized he needed a voice of reason; a third party without a bias decision—for the right price.

A knock at the door brought Ripto out of his sleep-like trance, and he quickly jumped off of the bed and straightened himself up. He asked his two doting henchmen to request an audience with a certain greedy bear, and it was more than likely that he was finally here.

Opening the door, Ripto confirmed his theory when he found Moneybags standing out in the hall, holding his large bag of precious gems close like always.

"What took you so long?" Ripto snarled and stepped out into the hall.

"My apologies. I had to help a certain purple dragon on my way here," Moneybags explained with a smirk, "What is it you needed?"

"How could you possibly be helping that evil fire breather?"

"I'm a mercenary, it's what I do. My opinion on my patrons matters not, especially when they pay the right price. Speaking of which, when are _you_ planning on paying me for helping you with your other dragon problem, Ripto?"

"I said I'd pay you when you were successful with getting her to help me. Or do you need a reminder?" Ripto once again tried to seem intimidating by pointing his scepter directly at Moneybags, but the latter remained calm.

"Fear not, I have a great memory."

"Then what's your plan this time? Your last one didn't work."

"Technically, you didn't even get a chance to ask her for dinner since she ran away. You obviously forgot about the date after the whole ordeal."

Ripto was about to protest, but his head pounded with another migraine; he grunted and clutched his forehead tightly in attempt to ease the pain, but to no avail. Moneybags was quick to notice this.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Ugh…it's a stupid headache. I've had it ever since I…rescued Esther in Colossus."

Moneybags' eyes widened in surprise, "You mean, you took a beating for a dragon?"

Ripto clenched his teeth in aggravation, "I took a beating for a servant. She's nothing more, so don't get any ideas. And I thought you said your opinion didn't matter."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I don't have one. I just tend to judge in silence."

"Judge all you want for now, fat bear. If your plan fails again, I'm taking your gems and shoving them where the sun doesn't shine."

Ever since he first started affiliating with Ripto, Moneybags finally felt the slightest twinge of fear. His threat may have been crude, but it involved the loss of his precious gems either way. Moneybags wouldn't stand for that.

"I believe you. But are you willing to trust me again?"

"That depends."

"Fair enough. Instead of a dinner date like I originally planned, maybe you should start with something simpler."

* * *

Ripto began a search for Esther for the umpteenth time, but was eventually distracted by a horrible smell emitting from the kitchen. It smelled like something was burning, so Ripto ran as fast as he could to see if it was a fire.

He came to a skidding halt in the doorway, but saw no fire; although, the room was still filled with black smoke. And then, Ripto's worst fears were realized when he heard Esther's frantic coughs coming from somewhere in the ebony cloud.

Ripto acted fast and whipped his scepter from one side to another, conjuring up a breeze powerful enough to blow the smoke back. He quickly found Esther by the oven, which was wide open and the source of the smoke. Just as Esther leaned into the oven with oven mitts on her paws, Ripto suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her out into the hall where the air was clearer.

"What happened?!" Ripto snapped as his eyes rapidly flicked over Esther for any injuries, but luckily didn't find any.

"I-I'm sorry! I was trying to make some cinnamon rolls, but…" Esther began to explain, but then a blush crept across her face, "…I've never cooked before."

"Why would you try to cook by yourself if you've never done it before?"

"Well, I—I wanted to make you something nice for going swimming with me, and for letting me try to teach you to dance."

Ripto's face softened for a moment, but he shook his head and his scowl returned, "You could've gotten hurt, or worse!"

Esther gasped and her blush darkened, "You were worried about me again."

"No, I would've been happy to see you get killed," Ripto sighed sarcastically, "Yes, I was worried!"

"Oh, Ripto. I'm really sorry for scaring you," Esther stated gently while taking one of Ripto's hands in her own to reassure him. Ripto blushed at that and quickly removed his hand, and cleared his throat while stepping back into the kitchen, which was now clear of smoke.

"All this just to make cinnamon rolls?" he questioned in disbelief when he saw black soot smeared on nearly every surface.

"Yeah…sorry," Esther apologized sheepishly.

"It's fine. And if you want—I could help you." Ripto ad turned his back towards Esther, in hopes of hiding the doubtful expression on his face. He mostly expected her to question why, but she instead ran up to him and smiled brightly.

"That would be wonderful!" Esther cheered and practically jumped in place, but then a look of confusion struck her, "Wait, how do you know how to cook, let alone make cinnamon rolls?"

"My mother taught me," Ripto simply replied while taking off his cape, rolling up his sleeves, and washed his hands.

Esther's eyes widened, "Your…mother?"

"Of course. Everyone has one."

As Ripto nonchalantly pulled up a chair to reach the counter and began pulling out baking utensils, Esther blinked in surprise. She wondered if Ripto might have come from a terrible family, or if he just became the tyrant he is by himself. There was only one way to find out.

"Ripto?" Esther piped up.

"What?" Ripto inquired.

"If you don't mind me asking, what, um—what was your mother like?"

Esther expected Ripto to freeze at her question, as he recalled terrible memories of his family. But instead, he just kept retrieving ingredients.

"Oh, she was the sweetest Riptoc alive," Ripto replied with a pleasant sigh.

"Riptoc?"

"Yes, that's what my mother and I are. And yes, I know my name and my species' name sound painfully alike. My parents weren't the best at coming up with names."

"I didn't know that. And you said your mother taught you how to cook?"

"She sure did. She told me that my elite sense of smell could be used as an advantage, and she was right—she was always right."

Esther couldn't help but notice the slightest twinge of sorrow in his tone at that last part, so she thought it might be best to ask about something else.

"And what about your father?"

That got the response out of the Ripto that Esther was expecting; he dropped a wooden spoon on the floor, and he stood as still as stone.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked without your consent. If it's too touchy for you to discuss, I completely understand."

"I-It's fine…he…he wasn't bad or anything, he just…he's kind of the reason that I'm…the way I am," Ripto struggled to explain, and he kept his back turned to Esther the whole time.

There was a long and awkward pause for a few moments, but Ripto eventually broke it by clearing his throat, "Right, that's enough story time!"

"I'm still really sorry for bringing it up."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, it's annoying. Now, if you want to make decent cinnamon rolls, you're gonna have to listen to everything I say."

* * *

Esther did everything she was told, even though Ripto had done most of the work. But he amazed her nonetheless, especially since he made a batch of batter from scratch. Eventually, there was a tray of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, and they were now working on the frosting.

"Wow, those look delicious. You really can bake—better than me, at least," Esther giggled sheepishly.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Ripto asked boastfully while mixing the frosting, to which Esther rolled her eyes.

She then noticed some batter left in the other mixing bowl, "Hey, what should we do with this extra batter?"

"You can have it, for all I care."

"Cool, thanks!"

Esther licked her lips as she grabbed a spoon, and brought a spoonful of batter up to her mouth. Just as she expected, the batter tasted delicious. Ripto kept surprising her more and more.

"Do you want any, Ripto?" Esther asked while awkwardly walking on her hind legs, so that she could carry the bowl over to Ripto. But she tripped on her tail and face-planted, even throwing the spoon across the room.

Ripto turned to tell her no, but the spoon cut him off when it landed flat on his nose. It stuck to his face due to the thick batter, and his eye twitched as he stared at his nose in annoyance.

"Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen!" Esther exclaimed as she scrambled to her feet and picked up the bowl. She waited for Ripto to explode in anger, but he merely climbed down from his chair, his eyes staring into oblivion and the spoon still stuck to his nose, and slowly approached the dragoness.

When he finally reached her, he removed the spoon without another word and dug it into the bowl. Esther was completely befuddled, especially when Ripto brought a claw up to the spoon to draw it back. Without warning, he let go and the batter was catapulted onto Esther's face.

Esther was still quiet, but then a huge grin stretched across Ripto's lips as he leaned forward.

"I'm very skilled at fighting with food, too," he breathed threateningly.

"Oh, it is on," Esther chuckled darkly when she got the idea, and then reached into the bowl to grab a handful of batter before throwing it at Ripto.

The said wizard merely stepped aside, his grin still plastered on his face, and easily dodged the projectile.

He cackled as he grabbed his scepter, "My turn."

His scepter glowed as three globs of batter were lifted out of the bowl with a purple aura surrounding them. Esther was able to dodge two of the globs, but didn't see the last one behind her, and it splattered against the back of her head.

"Oh, no you didn't! That's cheating!" Esther laughed.

"You thought I would play fair?" Ripto questioned matter-of-factly.

"Fine. If you won't play fair, neither will I!"

Esther then held the bowl above her head and dumped the rest of the batter all over herself, and she lunged at Ripto with a devious grin. Ripto hadn't seen that coming, and barely had time to react when Esther landed on top of him, knocking him onto the floor and smearing him in batter.

" _Now_ who's not playing fair?!" Ripto burst out laughing, as he tried to stand but the floor was too slippery with batter.

"What goes around, comes around! And either way, I win!" Esther giggled while holding Ripto down, neither of them noticing the position they were in at first.

It wasn't until their laughter began to die down that they realized how close they were to each other, so they both blushed and avoided eye contact. Esther was the first to move and climb off, and held out a paw to help Ripto up. Ripto didn't hesitate to take her paw, and quickly pulled himself onto his feet.

He then brought a hand to his mouth, and cleared his throat loudly, "Well, that was…"

"A lot of fun. And here, I thought you were still a big stick in the mud," Esther chuckled softly.

"Me? A boring stick in the mud? I'm hurt that you would even insinuate such a thing, Esther," Ripto stated dramatically, even placing a hand against his forehead like a damsel in distress. Esther couldn't help but burst out in another fit of giggles.

Just then, the room echoed with a loud ding, indicating that the cinnamon rolls were done.

"That was fast," Esther added in surprise.

"You know what they say: Time flies during a food fight," Ripto pointed out while grabbing an oven mitt.

"That's not _exactly_ what they say, but I believe you."

Ripto scoffed and opened the door, and the room was immediately flooded with a blissful and sugary aroma. Esther and Ripto both took a deep breath in, and exhaled with a long sigh of content. Ripto then grabbed the hot tray, and carefully pulled it out and set it on top of the stove.

"For someone who burned everything on her first try, you did pretty good this time," Ripto complimented.

"What do you mean? You did most of the work," Esther protested with a shrug.

"Be that as it may, you still get some credit."

Esther scoffed, "Gee, thanks. Anyway, what do we do until they're cold enough to frost?"

Ripto suddenly remembered the whole reason he was looking for Esther earlier, and realized this was the perfect moment to ask her without it being as awkward, had he asked her earlier.

"Why don't we take a little stroll?" Ripto suggested.

"Just you and me?" Esther asked and blinked in surprise, to which Ripto simply nodded. She might have believed them going on a walk with Crush and Gulp accompanying them, but just the two of them? She wasn't sure if whether or not he was trying to get closer to her, but she didn't want to be rude.

"I'd like that," she answered with a smile, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Ripto responded with a confident smirk, but was secretly overjoyed inside. And then he remembered something else, "But we should probably clean up first."

* * *

"You're that's what you saw?" Spyro asked Elora in shock. Spyro had recently returned to Summer Forest after collecting the last talisman from an outlying world, and Elora was waiting for him outside of the castle to tell him what she saw. But what she had to say was quite unbelievable; even Hunter and the Professor had a hard time believing her, and they knew her better than anyone.

"I'm positive. If Esther's plan is to distract Ripto, we need to act fast," Elora explained firmly.

"I say we take out his monsters first," Hunter pointed out.

"I'm with Hunter. We'll pick 'em off, one by one," Spyro snarled.

"Yes, taking them on one at a time would increase our chances of success," the Professor added after crunching some numbers, "Crush seems like the weakest opponent. I suggest going after him first."

"I'll take your word for it, Professor. I'll see you guys after I've finished kicking some club-wielding butt!" Spyro shouted and took to the sky, heading towards the castle as quickly as his wings would carry him.

"The portal to the next home world leads to Autumn Plains. Let's be on our way, so that we can meet Spyro there," the Professor informed, and he and Hunter were the first to run off in search of a portal.

Elora was hesitant at first, as she took one glance back at the castle. She prayed that she knew what Esther was doing. She could tell that Esther and Spyro were very close, and she couldn't stand to see him devastated if something bad were to happen to her. Elora silently wished Esther luck, and then followed the others.

* * *

 **Where could Ripto be taking Esther? Any ideas?**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	7. Chapter 7 - One Down

Chapter 7 - One Down

Esther had not expected to be taken through a portal, especially since they were just going for a short walk. But she was soon amazed by the sight of the new world they were in; they were in a courtyard surrounding a castle similar to the one in Summer Forest, but the leaves of the trees were now beautiful hues of fall colors; the entire environment was decorated with red, brown and yellow colors, and it was all complimented with a serene purple sky in the midst of a sunset.

"Wow," Esther breathed in utter awe.

"I know, right?" Ripto chuckled at her reaction, and smiled while taking in the beautiful scenery.

"It's all so pretty." Esther paused and glanced at Ripto in curiosity. "Is Fall your favorite season?"

"Yup. Always has been."

"That's—interesting."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, the colors are amazing and all, but the leaves on the trees are slowly dying. I just think it's a little sad."

"Well, the old leaves fall to make way for a new generation of even more beautiful leaves. That's how I always thought of it."

As Ripto basked in his analogy, Esther gawked at him in bewilderment. She never thought a misunderstood and vengeful creature like him could think so purely, let alone appreciate such small things in life.

"That was beautiful, Ripto," she pointed out softly.

"Really? I thought it always sounded too cheesy," Ripto chuckled nervously, as a light blush crept across his face.

"Maybe you're a poet, and you just don't know it."

Ripto scoffed at Esther's joke, "Don't get cute. C'mon, I wanna show you something."

Esther followed Ripto like he asked, as he led her into the castle. They walked up a few flights of stairs, and it wasn't long until they stopped on a balcony that overlooked the entire front frontal courtyard; it was perfectly cascaded with the light of the sunset, and Esther was once again speechless.

"I've been coming here recently whenever I needed to get away from anything that bothered me. I like to nap in the trees sometimes. They're actually pretty comfortable," Ripto explained with a sigh.

"Really?" Esther questioned in curiosity.

"Of course, that's just my opinion. You'd have to see for yourself."

"Ok. Show me."

"You sure?"

"Positive!"

"If you say so."

With a shrug, Ripto lifted his scepter and brought it back down with a thud, engulfing them both in a bright flash. In the blink of an eye, they found themselves up in a big and old tree. But Esther wasn't prepared for the suddenly loss of ground, so her back feet fell and she was holding on with her front claws.

"You could've given me a warning," Esther joked with a grunt, as she tried to pull herself up.

"I asked if you were sure," Ripto simply protested while wearing a grin, and offered a helping hand. Esther was quick to take it, and he effortlessly pulled her to safety; although, the resulting pull also caused them to be pressed up against each other like when they were dancing.

Esther blushed and giggled, "Thanks."

Ripto bashfully scratched the back of his head, "Don't mention it."

They both then glanced out at the sunset again, and remained quiet for a moment. But the peace was interrupted when Ripto suddenly let out a pained groan, and once again shut his eyes tight and grabbed his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Esther gasped.

"It's just-ow…a little headache," Ripto grunted in denial while taking a seat on the branch.

"Is it the same headache from when the ram hit you?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"That's not good. It shouldn't have lasted this long. Lean back."

Ripto opened an eye in confusion, but Esther didn't explain herself and instead pushed gently on his shoulders until he leaned against the tree trunk. Just like before, Esther brought a paw to Ripto's head and placed it on his skin gently; soon, a light green aura once again emitted from her claws and flowed slowly into Ripto's skull.

It took a few more minutes than last time, but Ripto eventually let out a sigh of relief as Esther worked her magic. His face softened and his breathing slowed, almost as if he was about to fall asleep.

"Feel better?" Esther inquired softly.

"Much," Ripto replied flatly, and then took a deep breath in, "Thank you."

Esther was surprised to hear Ripto give a genuine thank you, but decided to stay quiet about it for now.

She smiled and then took her paw away, "You're very welcome. Let me know if it starts hurting again."

"I mean it, Esther," Ripto began firmly and opened his eyes, "No one's showed me such kindness like you have—in a very long time."

"Why's that? I-If you don't mind me asking?"

"Let's just say—I've done some things in my past that I deeply regret. I wish I could take them back, but I can't."

"Well, it's like you said. It's in the past. Sometimes, you need to stop looking back, so that you can move forward."

"It's not that easy. Believe me, I've tried."

Esther was quiet after that. She wanted to help, even if she didn't know exactly what to do. So, she eventually came up with the only solution she could use. She approached Ripto and placed a small kiss on his forehead, which almost made the said wizard jump out of his skin in shock.

"W-What was th-that for?!" Ripto exclaimed with an obvious stutter, as his eyes popped wide, and his face lit up as red as a tomato.

"When I was little, my mom would always give me a little kiss whenever I was sad or hurt. It always helped me, so I thought it might make you feel better, too," Esther gently explained, but then looked down in shame, "But I guess it was pretty rude of me to do that without asking."

Ripto wanted to say something, but he just couldn't find the right words. Luckily, he was rescued from nearly overheating when a loud roar echoed throughout the yard, which shook the trees and caused more leaves to fall.

"What was that?" Esther whimpered.

"I know that roar," Ripto muttered before climbing out of the tree. As soon as he got down to the ground, Gulp came galloping up to him at full force, coming to a skidding halt.

Gulp instantly let out a collection of distressed roars and grunts, to which Ripto held out his hands to get his attention.

"Whoa! Easy, Boy! I can't understand you when you talk like that!" Ripto shouted over Gulp's panicking noises, and the latter soon took deep breaths in and out to calm down. After calming down enough to communicate a bit more coherently, he started growling an explanation.

Esther soon climbed out of the tree as well, and was worried when she saw how frantic Gulp looked, "What's wrong with him?"

"Something's wrong," Ripto stated in realization, and then turned towards Esther, "Stay here. I need to take care of something."

Before Esther could say anything else, Ripto climbed onto Gulp's head and they headed to a portal that led back to Summer Forest. She wanted to go with them to see if she could help, but she also worried that she might make things worse if she did. So, she reluctantly stayed behind and waited.

Meanwhile, Gulp was soon at a full gallop again, as he took his master into the dungeon underneath the castle of Summer Forest. Ripto didn't want to believe what Gulp had told him, but he wanted to see for himself just to be sure.

Unfortunately, Ripto's fears were realized when they finally reached the dim dungeon, where a large pile of shattered stones waited in the middle of the chamber.

"No…" Ripto muttered in disbelief, as he jumped off of Gulp and sprinted up to the pile. He tried desperately to move the rocks himself, but they were far too heavy. So, in a blind panic, Ripto fired a beam from his scepter and knocked a majority of the rocks away.

When the dust cleared, Crush could be scene lying limp within the pile of debris. Ripto shook his head and ran up to his club-wielding crony, and shook his arm in an attempt to wake him up.

"No…Crush, no! Stay with me!" Ripto begged while placing his head against Crush's chest. He soon heard breathing, but it was shallow and weak.

Ripto then turned to Gulp, "We need to get him out of here. Help me get him on your back."

Gulp did as he was told, and began digging his horns underneath his fellow partner in crime while Ripto used some magic to levitate him up onto Gulp's back.

* * *

Ripto and Gulp hurried back to Autumn Plains as fast as they could, but had to keep a slow enough pace, as to not cause Crush anymore pain. Once they reached Autumn Plains, they brought Crush into the castle and carefully placed him in a cushy guest room.

"I swear, Crush! You'd better stay awake, or so help me…" Ripto began threateningly, but then realized the severity of Crush's injuries when the latter started coughing rapidly. Ripto had known Crush for many years, and the thought of losing him truly terrified him.

"Oh, no!" Esther exclaimed when she entered the room, and panicked when she saw Crush's injuries, "What happened to him?"

"Don't worry about that. Can you heal him?" Ripto quickly asked.

"No, I'm sorry. My magic isn't strong enough for internal wounds," Esther apologized in shame.

Ripto mentally panicked again, but shook his head and growled, "Then, go make yourself useful and make some herbal tea."

"But-."

"Now!"

Esther stepped back in surprise, and was consumed with an overwhelmed feeling of guilt. She really wished she could do more to help, and also wished she had studied more in Magic Crafters. Esther didn't know what to say, and merely exited to room quickly to do as Ripto asked. Once she left, Ripto turned back toward his ailing henchman.

"Who did this?" Ripto whispered to Crush, as he stared him straight in his hazy eyes, "Was it that purple dragon?"

Crush was merely able to let out a guttural noise of confirmation before his eyes rolled back into his skull, and his head sulked as he went unconscious. It wasn't much evidence, but it was enough to convince Ripto that Spyro was the one responsible for this.

"Don't worry, Crush. I'll make sure he pays for this."

* * *

 **I wonder what Ripto did that was so bad. Any ideas?**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	8. Chapter 8 - A Night Out?

Chapter 8 - A Night Out?

After Ripto and the others began settling into the castle in Autumn Plains, things had been quite tense and quiet. Ripto focused only on making sure Crush was healing, and on planning how to eliminate Spyro. However, one problem still stood in the way of his plan: Esther; he made sure to keep his plan a secret from her, for he sensed that she was friends with the purple dragon.

But he would still ultimately lose her if he succeeded in killing her friend, and that was the last thing he needed. No, he must time this perfectly, or else it would all have been for nothing. First, he would gain Esther's complete trust, and then deal with Spyro.

It was late at night and Ripto needed help with comforting Crush again, so he headed to Esther's room to wake her up. The door was closed as usual, so he politely knocked. After receiving nothing but silence, he knocked a few more time. But there was still no answer.

"You better not have run away again," Ripto warned with a whisper, as he opened the door and stepped into the dark room. He squinted to adjust his eyes to the darkness, and used his scepter as a light source when he saw a lump in the blankets.

He approached the bed and poked the lump, "Esther, wake up. I need your help."

He expected her to respond with a groan or a yawn, but instead she seemed to tense and a loud sniffle emitted from her. This concerned Ripto. Had she been awake the whole time? And was she—crying?

"Esther," Ripto spoke firmly.

"I-I…I'm awake," Esther piped up meekly, but her voice was dry and hoarse. Ripto instantly noticed this.

"You don't sound too good."

"No, I'm fine, really. I just…I-I'll be down in a minute." Esther sat up as she spoke, but she was turned away and stayed hidden under the blankets. Ripto refused to leave without finding out what was wrong, so he ran to the other side of the bed and brought the glowing end of his scepter up.

Ripto's eyes widened when his theory was confirmed. Tears stained her cheeks, as they spilled from her bloodshot eyes; her lip quivered and she sniffled uncontrollably when she was caught.

"I'm sorry!" she whimpered and buried her face in the blanket.

"Why are you crying?" Ripto demanded.

"Please…just leave me alone."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"Y-You don't…want to know."

"Yes, I do. Now, tell me before I lose my patience."

Ripto didn't mean to sound as harsh as he did, but it was enough to make Esther break out into more violent sobs. He quickly felt guilty, and rushed to figure out how to fix this.

"Look, Esther, I want to know so that I can help you. I—I hate to see you like this."

Esther could tell he struggled with his words, especially the last part. She tried her best to stop her tears, and opened one eye to look at him.

"You do?" she asked softly.

"Yes. Can you please tell me why you're crying, so that I can fix it."

Esther sniffled and nodded, "I…I had a nightmare…about Spyro."

Ripto's face softened, "Your purple friend?"

"Yeah…you two were…fighting, and then you…" Esther paused and once again hid in the blankets with another sob.

"What did I do?"

"You killed him!"

Esther's voice was muffled from the blanket, but her shout was loud and clear to Ripto. If he wasn't careful, there was no way he would get away with destroying Spyro without losing Esther forever. He still may be new to this friendship thing, but he was sure this was considered a step backwards.

"I'm sorry, Esther. I didn't know you thought of me that way." The hurt in Ripto's tone was painfully obvious, and Esther pulled the blanket off of her head to find that he had turned his back to her.

"N-No, I didn't mean it like that!" Esther exclaimed as she grabbed his arm with her paws, forcing him to turn back around and look her in the eye, "The Ripto in my dream wasn't real. You're nothing like him."

"How can you be so sure?" Ripto questioned in disbelief.

"Because the Ripto I know isn't a monster. He's my friend."

Ripto's eyes widened once more in utter shock. He couldn't recall the last time anyone had ever called him a genuine friend, and to hear it from Esther made his heart flutter. If it wasn't for the darkness, Esther would have noticed the blush that crept across Ripto's face.

"So…you're not scared of me?"

"Well, I…"

Ripto knew he shouldn't have been surprised. The fact that Esther couldn't say no said it all. Ripto took a breath in and walked around the bed, obviously attempting to leave the room.

"Ripto, I'm sorry," Esther tried to apologize.

"No, no. It's fine. I know I'm not the kindest person, and I've come to terms with it," Ripto protested firmly.

"I-I panicked. I didn't know what to say."

"You told the truth. There's nothing wrong with that."

"But it's not—entirely true."

Ripto stopped in the doorway and glanced back, "What do you mean?"

"I-I mean—I would be willing to get to know the _real_ you. Show me that you're not evil."

"And how would I do that?"

Esther was silenced at that. She wanted to have an idea as to how to help Ripto show her who he is, but she couldn't think of anything.

"That's what I thought," Ripto sighed and was about to leave the room again, but an idea popped in his head. It may be a long shot, but it might be his only option, "Actually, I think there's something I can do."

"There is?" Esther inquired curiously.

"I think so. Why don't we go out tonight?"

Esther's face darkened with a blush, "Y-You mean—like a date?"

It was Ripto's turn to blush, "U-Um, well...it doesn't have to be a date….just a fun night out, right?"

"Yeah, I guess that's ok. What will we do?"

"That's a surprise. Just be sure your chores are done before sunset, and then meet me back here when you're ready."

Esther smiled with excitement, "Sounds like a plan to me."

* * *

 **Sorry that this is so short, I just wanted to post this before I had to leave for work.**

 **Also, good news: I've got a DeviantArt account! If you'd like to check out my art, you can find the link to my gallery on my FFN profile.**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


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